tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:45:04 +0000chipboard housescollagegift ideasornamentsart project. published workart techniqueswisdom taleSidney Fine Arts Showantiquesgeneaologyartfestart projecthow toblog friendFrancebeach therapyblog awardsart quotesFrancis Rattenburyart ideasinspirationrecylingtea party recipesartist trading cardspolymer clay buttonsjuried artworkHalloweenbeeswaxmake your ownsewingrecipesATClentil bead pendantlittle things make a differencecontestfaux rakuephemerarecyclecolourafternoon teaMuchaCoast Collective Art GalleryrecyclingwireworkingEmpress Hotelstorage tipsChristmasroom boxeshumourbusiness cardsghostvictoriantalepolymer claystorytellers of Canadapenny pinching ideasart projectstagsbrown paper bagsSooke Fine Arts ShowtutorialsReader's Digest Condensed Booksart cardshigh teagiveawayVictoria BCsteampunkawardspoetryCDThrifty Tuesday Art Tipsdigitalart technique art ideasfunmemory shrineslittle paper cottagesfollowerssold art worksart tipsvintage imagesinukshukMyStoryART is a delightful, eclectic blog that passionately shares with readers and listeners, wisdom tales and art adventures in mixed media, digital collage, polymer clay, assemblages, jewelry, tutorials, thrifty art tips and techniques.http://www.mystoryart.com/noreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)Blogger164125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-6274204957674029735Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +00002011-12-12T03:00:12.343-08:00afternoon teaChristmasrecipesWhen it comes to "sweets" part of your Christmas tea, this is the time to pick some of your favourite little tidbits!  Choose 3 or 4 different sweets.  Here are some ideas of tasty little morsels to include... Tiny lemon tarts Champagne truffles * Shortbread cookies Mincemeat tarts Sugar Cookies * Date Nut Bars * Poppy-seed Bread * *download the recipes here A Few Words about Tea *Always "http://www.mystoryart.com/2011/12/12-days-of-christmas-day-12.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-7635162360672727457Sun, 11 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +00002011-12-11T03:00:07.043-08:00afternoon tearecipesToday, we'll chat about the second S in an afternoon tea menu - Sandwiches. I adore tea sandwiches! They are so yummy and given my "druthers" I'd eat them every day of the year. There is just something so "civilized" about afternoon tea sandwiches. LOL Last week, when I was out for Christmas tea with my Victorian Fashion Group at a lovely tea room here in Victoria, one of the women in our grouphttp://www.mystoryart.com/2011/12/12-days-of-christmas-day-11.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-209963762888715643Sat, 10 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +00002011-12-10T03:00:02.112-08:00afternoon teahigh tearecipesMenu Suggestions for a Christmas Tea Party "There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."  Henry James - Portrait of a Lady In designing a menu for "afternoon tea" in Victoria, B.C. (the most British of all Canadian cities and some say we are even more British than the British LOL) we keep these three "S's" in mind when looking forhttp://www.mystoryart.com/2011/12/12-days-of-christmas-day-10.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-2927420626691316111Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +00002011-12-09T03:00:04.666-08:00tea party recipesChristmasFocus on the true meaning of the season - celebrate with a Friendship Tea or Punch Party Christmas is a season of giving. Instead of spending a lot of money on gifts this year, why not focus on the true meaning of the season with a Christmas Tea or Punch Party for your friends!  You could make it a themed "costume party" Dickens style and ask your guests to come dressed appropriately... bonnets http://www.mystoryart.com/2011/12/12-days-of-christmas-day-9.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-3313820533082942333Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:24:00 +00002011-12-08T07:24:01.205-08:00Make a "Duchess of Cambridge" Fascinator Imagine having a Christmas afternoon tea party with some friends.  Well, the first thing you'll need are your own fascinators!  It's a fun and easy project... and you can find the instructions here. Have fun... Sharonhttp://www.mystoryart.com/2011/12/12-days-of-christmas-day-8.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-800084377287266473Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:51:00 +00002011-12-07T08:51:12.051-08:00gift ideas5 Quick Gifts You Can Make for Less than $5.00 Raid your fabric stash or head to the nearest before Christmas sale at your favourite fabric store to sew up a storm with these easy, quick projects that use a yard of material or less. Quick and easy, this table runner measures 10" x 24" Make it for yourself, a friend or relative with this pattern! Make a set of placemats to match your runner. http://www.mystoryart.com/2011/12/12-days-of-christmas-day-7.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-2711476560302103630Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +00002011-12-06T03:00:13.972-08:00Let's get thrifty! Some of the most popular and visited posts on this blog are the thrifty art tips I put together awhile back (with a little help from my online friends!). These pages are visited often by long standing blog friends who know about them, but I suspect many newcomers to the blog might not be aware of them!  There are just loads of wonderful tips for recycling different materialshttp://www.mystoryart.com/2011/12/12-days-of-christmas-day-6.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-405991934408127069Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +00002011-12-05T03:00:09.119-08:00gift ideaspenny pinching ideasTime for some penny pinching gift ideas... Last year at Christmas, I posted 40 Penny Pinching gift ideas for Christmas.  For today's offering, I thought I would point you in the direction of those postings.  Please note that because of my hard drive crash last week, some of the "goodies" I offered to send you in these posts are not available.  Enjoy! Part 1 Part 2 Happy Crafting, Sharonhttp://www.mystoryart.com/2011/12/12-days-of-christmas-day-5.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-231784528286061875Sun, 04 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +00002011-12-04T03:00:02.262-08:00HO! HO! HO!  Time for some trashy holiday humour... Some days, especially during the holidays, we all need a good laugh!  After a Saturday of fighting traffic at the mall, waiting in line FOREVER to pay for purchases and with our wallets feeling decidedly lighter, it just feels so good to just sit back, relax and have a good belly laugh.  Here's a fun "tongue in cheek" Christmas laugh... Jeff http://www.mystoryart.com/2011/12/12-days-of-christmas-day-4.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-3756255543710006518Sat, 03 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +00002011-12-03T07:31:29.711-08:00contesthow toChristmasShop till ya drop... Hubby caught me "laundering" money one morning a couple of years ago!  Yes, you read that right.  I was laundering dollar bills and when they were dry, giving them a squirt of spray starch and ironing them smooth.  He laughed so hard when he saw me doing this, I thought he would burst an artery.  Upon reflection, I guess to an outsider it looked pretty funny alright. But ithttp://www.mystoryart.com/2011/12/12-days-of-christmas-day-3.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-95981463936120283Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +00002011-12-02T03:00:08.917-08:00art tipspolymer claymake your ownCleaning your (ART) house before Christmas... Yesterday morning I discovered (much to my initial consternation and rather ugly spoken words not fit to print)  that the drive on my computer that has all the "good stuff" on it (including most of the stuff I was going to show you over the next week or so) has mysteriously disappeared from my computer.   I haven't got a clue as to what has happenedhttp://www.mystoryart.com/2011/12/12-days-of-christmas-day-2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-8611802145569742935Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +00002011-12-01T03:00:10.424-08:00art projectantiquesFirst up in this showcase of projects I have done over the years is one you might not expect!  I love antique stores and one year as I was roaming around the wilds of North Carolina, I came across this lovely little shop tucked away in a small town south west of Raleigh.  Well there isn't an antique shop on this planet that I won't visit, so in I went. As some of you may know, North Carolina http://www.mystoryart.com/2011/12/12-days-of-christmas-day-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-122594772938189234Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:57:00 +00002011-11-30T10:57:24.922-08:00An Art Fest of Projects For days now I have been ruminating about my blog posts for December!  This morning, as I rolled out of my nice warm bed to greet a cold, crisp November day, it came to me: create a chronicle of various "art" projects I have tackled or created over the years.. some of which I have shared with you and others that didn't quite make it to these pages! Beginning tomorrow andhttp://www.mystoryart.com/2011/11/12-days-of-christmas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-1431263599775100094Mon, 21 Nov 2011 06:42:00 +00002011-11-20T22:42:19.332-08:00The Art in Colour Mixing...http://www.mystoryart.com/2011/11/art-in-colour-mixing_20.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-7273351795694412582Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:11:00 +00002011-11-20T12:24:11.221-08:00colourinspirationOne thing I have been wanting to do for awhile now is to mix up some clay colours for reference when doing clay work. After completing this project myself and seeing how useful it is for learning about colour, I'd like to encourage non-clayers to try this simple system of mixing colours in clay and creating some "clay" bracelets to give you a reference aid when mixing  colours in other mediums.http://www.mystoryart.com/2011/11/art-in-colour-mixing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-7498821579506121315Sun, 23 Oct 2011 20:18:00 +00002011-10-23T13:18:07.440-07:00polymer clayart projectCoast Collective Art Galleryart techniques You know what I like best about creating abstract art?  It's not supposed to look like anything in particular!  For someone like MOI whose drawing abilities leave a lot to be desired LOL, creating something "abstract" is the perfect form of self expression.  I love the playfulness and freedom inherent in just messing around with colour with no outcome in mind... it kinda reminds me of colouring http://www.mystoryart.com/2011/10/abstract-art-visual-poetry-in-motion.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-4542885619219722700Sat, 01 Oct 2011 15:14:00 +00002011-10-01T09:14:09.785-07:00Greetings art friends on a cool but lovely Saturday (at least so far) in the Pacific Northwest! A couple of weeks ago I was rummaging around in my "stash" and came across a large bottle (18" inches tall) that I found rather "funky" when I bought it but wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. I was feeling rather art deprived... having worked so hard on getting my "Timeless Tales" CD http://www.mystoryart.com/2011/10/art-bottles-fun-with-clay.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-3887005383959368839Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:39:00 +00002011-09-16T05:39:19.214-07:00taleCDinspirationwisdom tale Today,  I am excited and thrilled to announce that my spoken stories CD album, “Timeless Tales – Vintage Stories from Around the World, Vol. 1” has just been released at cdBaby.   “But aren’t stories and tales “just for kids”?” you ask. Well, yes and no. Lots of adults enjoy tales and stories too! Kids will laugh, smile and maybe even want to tell YOU one of the stories on this CD.  As a mom,http://www.mystoryart.com/2011/09/timeless-tales-of-mystoryart.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-5374198019233707111Fri, 09 Sep 2011 21:51:00 +00002011-09-09T14:51:24.560-07:00I finally took the plunge!  I signed up for Facebook... and oh my what a learning curve it has been for me over the past couple of weeks. Being primarily an audio learner, it was a BIG challenge for me figuring it out on my own!  There's not a lot of audio instruction on the "ins and outs" of Facebook in their help menu (NONE).  Way too many hours later, I still don't have some parts of it http://www.mystoryart.com/2011/09/facebook-and-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-8603909631675782498Sat, 30 Jul 2011 07:39:00 +00002011-07-30T00:39:25.623-07:00polymer claytutorialsart projectsAfter a total *DISASTER* in the computer department, I am finally back online!  The motherboard on my main computer decided to give me a very hard time... three capacitors blew up and that was the end of my computer!  I was *more* than annoyed... the computer wasn't all that old and a well known brand name.  But I heaved a sigh of relief at none of my data being lost!  Doing backups on my http://www.mystoryart.com/2011/07/tooling-around-some-mini-how-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-1389036364336457719Sat, 09 Jul 2011 04:54:00 +00002011-07-08T21:54:06.801-07:00inspirationwisdom tale When I realized that well over a month had passed since I last updated my blog, I was rather shocked! "Where did the time go?" I mused to my SELF. The answer came back swiftly.  "Listening to the song in your heart." said that voice of SELF.  I smiled. Allow me to explain.  Around the beginning of June, I was doing some clean up on my computer.  A necessary evil every now and again and not http://www.mystoryart.com/2011/07/listening-to-inner-song.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-8974224706407929247Sat, 21 May 2011 20:03:00 +00002011-05-21T13:58:19.400-07:00polymer clayjuried artworkcollageCoast Collective Art GalleryThe day dawned rather cool and cloudy.  "Where's the sun?" I mused to myself. It had been a rather dull and rainy week but today the sun would shine for sure!  You see, it was my birthday and the sun has shone on my birthday for as long as I can remember.  Sometimes only for a few minutes but it has never disappointed me.... even on that day I turned ten. A freak snowstorm dumped so much snow (http://www.mystoryart.com/2011/05/wonderful-birthday-surprise.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-8779410886741533148Sun, 01 May 2011 00:36:00 +00002011-04-30T17:36:49.921-07:00The winner of the April Giveaway for followers... a Funky Pendant... is Connie from the Aloha State... Hawaii! Congratulations Connie! Thanks to everyone for playing and thanks for being a follower.  I appreciate your support of my blog very much.  Stay tuned.  I have a few surprises up my sleeve coming soon (once I deal with my freezer that decided to pack it in last night :( Have a great http://www.mystoryart.com/2011/04/april-blog-giveaway-winner.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-4039871511792256708Wed, 20 Apr 2011 21:14:00 +00002011-04-20T14:17:49.197-07:00polymer claygiveawayHere's a fun little bunny hopping by to say Happy Easter to you! May this Easter bring  you and the special people in your life, lot of Love, Smiles and a chocolate bunny to nibble on. This week I graduated to an old pair of gardening shoes .. not pretty by any means but boy at least I can get them on my "newly aligned" foot without screeching!  It has amazed me at just how sensitive my foot ishttp://www.mystoryart.com/2011/04/claying-around-wire-clay-and-bead.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984067909746256417.post-6692019368118454109Sun, 10 Apr 2011 16:35:00 +00002011-04-10T09:35:39.080-07:00followersgiveawayAt long last... the blog giveaway for followers!  A very funky pendant encased in a copper edging on a twisted hemp cord!  It looks absolutely fabulous against a black sweater or blouse (or just experiment with your wardrobe for the look you like best).  It will definitely get comments from your friends... I know because every time I wear mine I always hear "Where did you get that?  It's so funkyhttp://www.mystoryart.com/2011/04/blog-giveaway-funky-pendant-necklace.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon House)9